A journalist was brutally stabbed to death by a group of assailants while he was out on his morning walk in V Kota, a town in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. The incident occurred on Tuesday in the hometown of Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu. The deceased has been identified as Jaganmohan Reddy, who worked for a prominent Telugu vernacular daily.
Attack Details
According to preliminary police investigations, a group of assailants arrived on motorcycles and attacked Jaganmohan indiscriminately around 6 am. When he attempted to flee, they chased him and stabbed him multiple times before escaping from the scene. The attack took place in a sleepy town located at the border of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, leading to tension in the area.
Police Response
Local police, led by Palamaner DSP Degala Prabhakar, rushed to the crime scene along with forensic and clues teams. Chittoor SP Tushar Dudi also visited V Kota and inspected the crime site. Following his directions, six police teams were formed to investigate the murder and trace the accused, who are believed to be around 10 in number. The SP assured swift action and stated that all possible motives, including personal enmity, would be thoroughly investigated. V Kota police have registered a case and shifted the body to the government hospital at Palamaner for postmortem.
Protests and Demands
As news of the brutal murder spread, representatives of journalists' unions and local civil society members staged protests, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible. Chittoor MP Daggumalla Prasad Rao and Palamaner legislator N Amarnadh Reddy condemned the murder and appealed to the police for a swift investigation and arrest of the accused.
Possible Motive
Local journalists alleged that a rowdy sheeter named Thameem could be involved in the murder and urged the police to probe his possible involvement. Sources revealed that Jaganmohan had been actively reporting on various smuggling activities, including sandalwood smuggling, in which Thameem is known to be involved. This could have been a reason behind the murder.
